The puffy clouds looked like blood red snow blanketing every square inch below me as the sun set. I was all alone on an airplane for the first time in seven months. No team, no squad, no one. I was heading home. Not because my Race was over but because my Poppa’s was. He was a huge influence on my life and I wanted to go home for just a while to say thank you, love you, and see ya soon. One week later, he left his flawed earth suit and was instantly present before his Savior who he faithfully served his whole life.
There is something about funerals that make you truly reflect on your life and what is most important. At the end it doesn’t matter who thought you were cool, or how much money you had, or how big your house was. What matters is how big you loved. My Poppa loved people with no expectation of anything in return. He loved his family so ridiculously much. But he loved Jesus most of all.
As about 400 people made their way through the crowded funeral home showing room to pay their final respects I wondered how many people would show up to my funeral? What would I be remembered for? My Poppa was remembered for how much he loved Jesus, his family, and friends. What a great thing to be remembered for.
I don’t want to get to the end and people be like, “Well, he sure liked stuff,” or “He was a good guy who loved people most of the time,” or “Boy, he sure loved money.” No. When people walk past my casket someday I want people to not see me but see Jesus’ love in me. I want to be remembered for loving Jesus and others with such passion and reckless abandon.
You may be thinking that this is a rather morbid subject to write about but I think it’s of supreme importance to think about how you want to be remembered. You never know when it’ll be your time to go home so it’s never too early to think about it. You aren’t invincible. Our time on this earth is a blink of an eye. Think of all the billions of people who have lived before you and will live after you. The world does not revolve around you. It never has and never will. 50 years from now no one will care how famous you were or how much money you had or how many homes in Bora Bora you had. The one and only thing that will resonate throughout eternity is love.
Love.
So stop being selfish. Seriously, stop it. Selfishness will get you no where but loneliness, hopelessness, and despair. Love on the other hand, love will change the world. Love will tear down walls of racism and oppression. Love frees children who are in sexual slavery. Love changes the world. And accepting Jesus’ love and sacrifice will bring you into glorious everlasting life with Him. Love is life.
So what do you want to be remembered for?
For those wondering I did get to spend some quality time with my Poppa before he passed. I got to tell him I loved him and he told me he loved me and was proud of me. His last words were to his wife of 60 years, he said, “You are so beautiful Shirley, I love you.” What a gift to my Grammy. Now my Poppa is partying up in heaven with Jesus, with no pain, no possessions, and no fears. Nothing but the perfect love of Jesus. So again I ask, what is truly important? What will you be remembered for?
